ADAMSON University put up a comprehensive performance on Wednesday, denying Ateneo de Manila University in a hard-hitting battle, 19-10, and taking its third straight win to start the second round of the UAAP Season 85 Baseball tournament at the UP Diliman Baseball Field.
Outfielder Raymond Nerosa paced the huge hitting performance from the Soaring Falcons, who zoomed to a 4-2 record to remain in third place, with three hits and two runs in five at-bats to score three in the process.
Two of those hits came in the sixth and seventh innings when Adamson needed to push the lead as the Ateneo eventually found its connection and scored two at the bottom of the sixth with Javi Limpo opening the frame with a double.
The starting second baseman then crossed home with a good hit to the middle of the field from Ethan Mitschiener, who came to bat for Geof Magsadia.
Despite the win, Adamson coach Lando Binarao still wants to see consistency from his wards moving forward saying, “Yun nga, yung lamang namin was seven runs. Pero sinasabi ko nga, hindi pwedeng magkumpyansa kasi anytime pwedeng mag-rally sila.
“Ayun na nga, nung seventh inning, nakapasok sila ng six runs. Mabuti naka-score pa kami ng susunod na innings at napalayo yung score,” he continued.
That Ateneo rally in the seventh inning started when starting left fielder Luis Capati and pinch hitter Joaquin Alcaraz carved back-to-back hits off relief pitcher Dan Rommel Bacalla before the two went home to cut the deficit to eight at 6-14.
The entire batting order of the Blue Eagles went to the plate before Richard Matic, who replaced Bacalla at the mound, closed the rally.
Shortstop Enzo Montemayor was the offensive machine once more for Ateneo, ending with two hits but one of those was triple that scored three of his five RBIs in the game in that seventh-inning binge.
Matic, though, eventually sent all the eight batters he faced spanning the seventh and the ninth innings, including a solid unassisted putout on a catch of a line drive from pinch hitter Alonso Tuprio, to stop the Blue Eagles
The Soaring Falcons eventually made their bats do the work and scored five runs in that same span to seal the win. John Matanguihan sent a grounder to the left field line for a triple that scored Kent Reyes in the eighth before three hits turned into three runs for Matic and relief first basemen Aaron Mercado and Kier Plaza in the final frame.
Capati came on for starting pitcher Joshua De Juras with an out in the third inning to stop Adamson’s rally to four runs. He then limited the opponents to one hit from Matic from eight batters he faced before the sixth inning came.
The Blue Eagles dropped their fourth straight game to fall to a 2-4 record (fourth).
The Line:
Game 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
AdU 3 2 4 0 0 2 3 2 3 19 15 1
Ateneo 0 0 2 0 0 2 6 0 0 10 14 9
